World War 2

Course Outline:

I. Origins and Causes of the War 1919-1939

• The War: Why it matters and What you need to know

• The Great War and the Uneasy Peace: How WW 2 Happened

• Hoping for Peace: The Rise of Dictators, 1933-1939

II. Starting the War: The Axis Invades and Conquers, 1939-1942

• Invading Eastern Europe: Hitler's Power Grows

• Blitzkrieg in Europe

• The Ultimate Battle: Hitler v. Stalin

• America on the Sidelines

• Collision in Asia: Japan and America 1937-1941

III. Behind Enemy Lines: Nations at War

• Maintaining Resources: The Axis

• Working Together: The Allies

• The War Against the Jews

IV. Planning and Launching the Allied Counterattack, 1942-1943

• The Politics of Compromise

• Taking North America, Sicily, and the Boot

• Germany a Three-Time Loser: In Russia, At Home, and in the Atlantic

• Guadalcanal, New Guinea, and Midway

• Planning for the Rest of the War

V. The Long Haul, 1944

• The Italian Campaign

• Liberating Europe from Normandy to Paris and Beyond

• Japan Begins to Crack

VI. Starting Over: The War's Aftereffects, 1945

• Ending the War (Almost): The Final Offensive

• The Japanese Defeat

• The Uneasy Peace

VII. The Part of Tens

• Ten Formidable Military Leaders of World War 2

• Ten Weapons that Made a Difference

• Ten "What Ifs?" of World War 2